PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Students at the Schools of Rock in Attleboro, Massachusetts and North Providence, Rhode Island got plenty of stage time playing their hearts out during their seasonal live performance in Pawtucket.
The concert is the culmination of months of group and private lessons, where children ages 3-18 learn to sing and play their favorite instruments.
Owner David LaSalle told WBZ NewsRadio's Kim Tunnicliffe it's also a sort of home away from home for many of the students.
"We provide a safe place to kind of hang out, be with their friends, keeping that vibe in the school to be a special place for them," he said. "Kids come to us, they don't seem to fit in in a lot of places, and they feel like it's a home when they come to the School of Rock."
LaSalle said learning to rock out is a big confidence booster for many of the kids.
"You watch the kids grow up," he said. "A lot of them come in when they're really young, and we can see them go through all of these stages, and all of a sudden, they become really good musicians."
They're also learning important lessons about performing music.
"They learn how to interact on stage," he said. "They learn how to get through all the glitches that might happen in a real performance, in a live performance, so it's a great learning process for them."
The School of Rock has also started music lessons for children with special needs.
"Once they get involved with the music, all of a sudden, they break through their shell," he said. "There's a certain thing about them that just comes to life, that they weren't able to find before."
WBZ NewsRadio's Kim Tunnicliffe (@KimWBZ) reports
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